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Akio wasn't like his past self—he didn't have a shred of talent for cooking.
But hey, he didn't really need to cook for himself. He could just find a chef to handle his three meals a day.
Conveniently, this stitched-together anime world had all sorts of random elements mashed into it… including Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.
So Akio decided to pay a little visit to Tōtsuki Academy and pick out a few chefs for himself.
Whether it was Megumi Tadokoro or Erina Nakiri…
Well, as the saying goes: kids make choices, adults take everything.
He was a dimensional demon god, after all. Recruiting a couple of followers was perfectly reasonable.
Dormammu had a whole flock of worshippers. Why shouldn't he? They were both dimensional demon gods. It wouldn't make sense if he couldn't have believers too.
So, Akio set out for Tōtsuki Academy in high spirits.
It was Saturday, the gates were shut tight, but that wasn't a problem for him.
If a so-called dimensional demon god couldn't even get past a regular old school gate, what kind of demon god would that be?
Even an ordinary magician could pull off weather manipulation, telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation, time travel, reality warping, mental assaults, energy reflection, time control, magic blasts, energy shaping, transference, force fields, flight, healing, illusions, resizing, transformation…
So why couldn't he?
Sure, that magician was DC's Zatanna—and her family had guarded the Orb of Truth for generations.
But Akio was a demon god.
If little Zatanna could do it, then so could he.
With barely any effort, he slipped into Tōtsuki Academy.
But once inside, he noticed something strange.
The place was crawling with malevolent spirits—way more than out on the streets.
Now that was interesting.
Why would a school attract more evil spirits than the outside world?
Something was definitely off.
Was there something hidden within Tōtsuki that was drawing them in?
Akio's eyes lit up with curiosity. He decided to take a closer look, see what exactly was wrong with this place.
To blend in, he used his vast psychic power to hypnotize the faculty and students, planting false memories in their minds.
Just like that, Akio—the total cooking amateur—became a "special instructor" at Tōtsuki Academy.
He strolled openly through campus, students greeting him as "Sensei" whenever he passed.
As for his boyish face, barely different from theirs? Their minds just skipped over it, ignoring the inconsistency.
Wandering down a hallway, he was taking in the school's atmosphere when a girl stepped out of the building ahead.
She had long golden hair flowing down her waist, legs wrapped in sleek black stockings, and her face carried a cool, aloof expression. In the sunlight, her presence practically gleamed.
Erina Nakiri.
Right behind her followed another girl in uniform, short hair tinged pink and violet, a classic beauty with refined features.
Naturally, it was her loyal assistant, Hisako Arato—nicknamed "Secretary."
"Stop!"
Erina suddenly halted, eyes narrowing at Akio.
"Who are you? Why are you here at Tōtsuki Academy?"
Akio blinked in surprise. Before he could answer, Hisako hurried to speak up, clearly flustered.
"Erina-sama, he's one of our teachers. Did you forget?"
"A teacher?" Erina frowned. "Since when did the academy hire someone this young? And why wasn't I told?"
"Of course, it was…" Hisako began, but froze mid-sentence.
She knew Akio was supposed to be a new instructor. But when exactly had he arrived? What cuisine was he specialized in? She had no clue.
Worse—she didn't even know his name.
Something wasn't right. Very not right.
Her instincts immediately went on alert.
The problem was that Akio had gotten lazy with the hypnosis. He had only shoved in a half-baked identity—"teacher"—without bothering to craft a detailed background.
Most people wouldn't notice. They'd never even question it.
But Hisako… she was starting to.
"You're suspicious," Erina said coldly, eyes narrowing as she studied him.
Akio tilted his head, amusement flickering in his gaze. "Interesting. I hypnotized everyone in this academy and implanted false memories.
So why… are you unaffected?"
Could it be just because she had the God Tongue?
Ridiculous. A fancy palate wasn't going to resist the power of a dimensional demon god.
Unless she had a God Brain… or Imagine Breaker like Kamijou Touma.
But Erina Nakiri? No way.
She might be the heroine of Food Wars, but even heroines had limits.
And yet, she hadn't fallen under his hypnosis. That was strange.
Sure, he hadn't unleashed his full strength—he didn't want these fragile humans' minds shattering under the weight of it.
But still, that shouldn't explain why she was unaffected.
Especially since Hisako right next to her clearly was.
There had to be a reason.
Could this be connected to why the school was swarming with evil spirits?
Driven by curiosity, Akio asked directly.
He prided himself on being the kind of guy who admitted what he didn't know and simply asked.
At the word "hypnosis," Hisako's face drained of color. She instantly stepped in front of Erina, shielding her.
"Who are you? What's your purpose in sneaking into our academy?"
She didn't doubt his claim. She was living proof of it.
Besides, this world was chaotic enough already. Vampires were strutting around openly, founding empires of the night. Rumor had it Mahora Academy was secretly a magic school.
So someone skilled in hypnosis? Hardly shocking.
Akio opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Erina pushed Hisako aside, stepping forward herself.
"I'll give you one chance. Cancel the hypnosis on Tōtsuki Academy. Right now. Or don't blame me for what happens next."
"Oh? Now this is interesting," Akio said with a playful grin. "And if I don't… what exactly are you planning to do?"
"..."
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